Alpha Orion’s Wolfless Warrior

11| PROOF OF DISLIKE

HAYLEE

Jane threw her hands around me the moment I walked through the doors of the training booth and Piper shoved me aside, hurrying inside.

“Shoo, you two!” She yelled. “These things are f*****g heavy.”

She ran past us with her box of herbs and healing equipments. I returned Jane’s hug, smiling in her embrace until my eyes snapped open and they locked with Orion’s.

My stomach did a flip, and I screwed my eyes back shut, stopping Jane’s effort to pull away. She laughed, pulling me back in.

“Aw, girl… you must have really missed me.” She gushed.

Just shut up and hug me, girl. You wish.

I mean, Jane was cool, I’d known her since childhood. She was a Gamma girl. But she was low-key a hypocrite. She only got close to me when there was something happening around me. I knew she gossiped about me with the other girls.

We finally pulled away from each other and I avoided looking in Orion’s direction.

“How are you? I heard you were down with a bad fever. I’m sure it’s the weather.” Jane spoke.

“I’m so much better, thank you. Definitely the weather.”

“Aw girl. I’m happy you’re fine. The booth has been super boring without you. Miss your punches and grunts and knife play. Especially the knife play. I can never win with you.”

We both laughed at that.

“What do you say?” She asked. “Can we do a sword fight later? After training with Orion?”

“Sure.” I replied without hesitation. She grinned.

“Great.”

Then she finally slipped away, and I couldn’t help an eye roll, which stopped midway when I realized Orion was walking towards me. My heart dropped to my stomach, my palms getting clammy.

I whipped around fast, but only got one step in before his voice rang out,

“Haylee, stop.”

Not wanting to draw attention to us, I actually stopped in my tracks.

Orion moved to stand in front of me, and the sight of him up close made me even angrier. He had his hair braided now, and his facial features became even more prominent, his intense eyes staring into my soul. Why couldn’t he just look like a f*****g grinch, so I could hate him exactly how I was supposed to?

Biting the inside of my cheek first to hold back any words I shouldn’t say, I allowed a big smile on my face.

“Hello, trainer.” I chirped. He didn’t smile, didn’t give me any expression whatsoever. He just continued to stare at me with a curiosity that let me know that he didn’t buy whatever excuse had been given to him about my health. Not at all.

“How are you?” He finally asked after a stretched moment of silence. I chanced a look around. Up to half of the people in the booth had their attention on us now. They quickly looked away when I checked, but I’d caught the looks already.

“I’m fine. Thank you for uh… stopping by.”

“Can we talk after the training?” He went straight to the point. I shook my head no at once.

He appeared unsurprised. “Why?”

“I don’t want to talk to you.”

“Why?” He pushed.

I groaned. “Why can’t you take no for an answer?”

He slipped his hands into his pocket, his jaw tightening.

“I just want to…” he trailed off and just stared at me for a while. Then he went on, “you didn’t have a fever. I saw the bandages on your hands. Right now, you’re still hiding your fingers in a way.”

I folded my palms even more. I hadn’t even realized I was hiding them until now. It stung like a b***h being folded like that, but I took it like a big girl.

“I was down with a fever. You’re bothered by the wrong things. Why don’t you just do what you’re here for and leave?”

Orion stared at me without a word. Then he took two steps back and clapped three times.

“Get in your positions everyone!”

I turned around quickly and hurriedly ran to stand beside Piper.

“Hey. Can you help me with the ointment? My fingers hurt.”

I held out my hand for it, keeping my gaze on Orion who pranced around the booth, dishing out orders.

“Piper?” I whined, finally facing her. The look on her face caused me to straighten. Her eyes were filled with moisture, her lips pulled into a straight line.

“Piper, are you okay?” My voice shook with the question, my heartbeat becoming faster.

“You like him, don’t you?” She whispered. “I guess he likes you too, I see the way he looks at you.”

“Piper. What are you saying? Who?”

“Don’t play stupid right now, or I’m going to smack your head with this stick on my side and I’m dead serious.” She threatened with a glare.

“I…”

“Why didn’t you tell me? You can have him, and I’ll help you. I’ve never seen you like anyone.”

I shook my head no frantically. “No! No, Piper, listen to me. I… I don’t like him. Okay? I swear, I don’t want anything to do with him either.”

Piper went for the stick, and I moved back, knowing how crazy my sister could get. That stick was really heavy, and I didn’t have so much trust in her herbs and concoctions yet.

“Prove it.” She snapped.

“What?”

“I need to make sure I’m in the clear with Orion. Prove that you’re not crushing on him like crazy.”

“And how am I supposed to do that?” I questioned, regretting the question the moment she smirked, blinking away her tears.

“Easy.”